How to Wake an Undead City

by Edwards, Hailey

  * * *

  The rumble of my stomach woke me, and I groaned into my pillow. “Food.”

  Bacon. That’s what I smelled. Lots of it.

  “You’re so predictable.” A crunch sounded above me. “I don’t know why no one tried food until now.”

  Unwilling to lift my head, I flung out an arm. “Gimme.”

  “Open your eyes,” Lethe bargained, “and you can have a whole slice.”

  With supreme effort, I got one lid raised. “Gimme.”

  “I said eyes, not eye.” She bit a strip in half and handed me the rest. “Eat that and then try again.”

  I found my mouth by trial and error then chewed and swallowed.

  “Hey.” She jabbed my shoulder with her finger. “You can’t fall asleep again. Bacon is here. No one says no to bacon.”

  “Not hungry,” I grumbled as I nestled back into the mattress. “Go ’way.”

  “Linus,” she screamed. “She’s not hungry. We have to get her to a hospital. Stat.”

  A laugh stuck in my throat, but it turned into a snore.

  * * *

  “I don’t know if I should be in here.”

  Amelie’s voice drifted to me from a great distance, but I couldn’t surface to reassure her.

  “I’m not sure you’d want my company if you had a choice.”

  I shifted on the mattress, turning toward her, but I was so very tired, and sleep was so very nice.

  “Lethe is in the hall. She wouldn’t leave me unsupervised with you.” She laughed, a huff of sound. “I deserve that, and you do too. She’s great. Terrifying. But great. I’m glad you found each other.” She covered my hand with hers. “I might not be your bestie anymore, and that’s on me, but I still love you. I don’t want to lose you before I get a chance to make things right between us.”

  The mumbled assurances that wanted past my lips turned into a yawn.

  “Wake up soon.” She kissed my cheek. “We miss you.”

  * * *

  A tickling sensation brought me awake, and I swatted at the annoyance.

  “Look, Sleeping Beauty, I’ve been working on your makeup for hours. Don’t touch your face.”

  “Neely?” I peeked through my lashes at him. “Makeup?”

  “He was practicing for your funeral,” Cruz said from the corner where he read a paper.

  “Necromancers don’t…” I spotted Marit on a chair in the corner, texting away with a dopey smile and a hickey the size of Maryland on her neck. “What’s going on?”

  “Wait.” Neely dropped his brush. “Are you actually awake?”

  “Yes?” I stretched, and it felt divine. “Why are you guys in my room?”

  “Linus,” he yelled. “Get your mighty fine behind in here.”

  Cruz peered at Neely over the fold, but his husband only fluttered his lashes innocently.

  “You know who has a nice ass?” Marit set her phone on her lap and mimed squeezing the air. “Jack.”

  “Am I still dreaming?” I pinched myself and yelped. “No such luck.”

  Footsteps pounded on the stairs, and Linus appeared in the doorway. He lingered on the threshold, staring like he worried one wrong move might send me under again.

  “You guys are freaking me out.” I shoved upright. “What gives?”

  A presence far vaster than Woolly reached out to me, its energy familiar and…content.

  Savannah.

  Pulse jumping, I recalled everything. Every blood-drenched moment. Including joining Linus’s ranks.

  Lethe, pissed off and snarly, tackled me in a hug guaranteed to leave bruises and knocked me back onto the bed, but I held on just as tight.

  “What is that?” I tried to glance down, but she was stuck to me. “Did you swallow a watermelon?”

  “You dumbass.” Ignoring the question, she kicked me in the shin, and sheets tangled around our legs. “You stupid, stupid— Great. Now I’m crying.” She paused her rant to wipe her face. “You could have died. You almost did. Now you’ve tied yourself to the freaking city. I hate to tell you this, but that was the most idiotic—if mildly heroic—move I’ve witnessed in my whole entire life.”

  Tension in the air raised hairs down my arms, and I checked on that new, foreign presence. “I don’t think Savannah likes you referring to her as the freaking city.”

  “What the actual hell, Grier?” Lethe gaped at me. “Why does Savannah have an opinion? How does she have an opinion?”

  Hoping to be saved, I spun the question to the one person who might know. “Linus?”

  “Cities aren’t, as a rule, sentient in any recognizable way. But there are energies flowing through them at all times. Humans, vampires, necromancers.” He included Lethe. “Gwyllgi.”

  All those lives, all that activity, leaching into the soil, wafting on the air, swirling through the water.

  Bits of life that nourished until Savannah almost, almost attained what I hesitated to label as awareness.

  “There’s also the nature of your blood and its tendency to…awaken its recipients.” He gestured toward Woolly. “You’ve also been bonded to a house for the better part of your life. For that alone, you would be more sensitive to the city’s presence, better able to interpret its moods and needs.”

  I scooched to the edge of the mattress, kicking at the cover twisted around my ankle. “Is Atlanta so vibrant?”

  “Yes.” His glance slid away. “She’s very much alive.”

  “And she misses you?” I had seen for myself how much he missed…her.

  “Cities are entities so vast and old, they don’t recognize individual people. Atlanta misses her conduit, a living connection to the world around her.”

  “So, any conduit would do?”

  We all turned to the doorway to find Amelie with her fingers laced at her navel and a determined set to her jaw.

  “There are certain requirements but…” Linus hesitated before allowing, “…more or less.”

  “Your bond to the city—” She drifted nearer. “Can it be revoked?”

  “There’s a loophole in the binding so that if I ever abused my position or became unable to perform my duties, I could be released from them.” His attention zeroed in on her. “Why do you ask?”

  “Grier was always going to be emotionally tied to Savannah. I was never sure how you two were going to make the long-distance thing work.” She picked at her nails. “Now Grier is physically tied to Savannah, and the city appears to have an opinion on the matter. I’m guessing Savannah won’t like it if her new BFF ditches her to follow her heart.”

  “Amelie…” I began, sick with certainty I knew where this was heading.

  “I’ve been trying to figure out a way for you to be together, and I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with the new life I’m about to be given.” She laughed softly then looked to me. “I’ve had a lot of time on my hands lately, and it was easier thinking about your problems than mine. At first, anyway. And then it hit me that I’m about to be free, and I’m about to be a whole new person, and I want that person to be a good one. Decent. I want her to be better than I was—am. I want to atone for my crimes in a meaningful way.” She dropped her hands to her sides and kicked up her chin. “I want to be the next Potentate of Atlanta.”

  A profound hush spread over the room as we absorbed the magnitude of her offer.

  “Amelie.” Linus pinched the bridge of his nose, lowered his hand, touched it again. “That’s generous of you, but I can’t turn you loose on my city, given your history. Ambrose is still bonded to you. He will be for the rest of your life. I can help you learn to control his urges, but what you’re asking…”

  “The position might help her hide her condition,” I said pointedly to him, knowing he would catch my meaning. “Potentates employ wraiths for backup. Who’s to say she can’t use Ambrose the same way? Who, aside from you, would have to know? He’s bound to her now, that gives her control over him.”

  A spark I hesitated to label as h
ope brightened his navy eyes. “It’s possible.”

  “You’ve got a crack team in place,” I reminded him. “They could monitor her, help keep her in line.”

  “The process for assuming a mantle already in use requires twelve months of on-the-job training as well as another twelve months of probationary work done with minimal oversight.” He slid his hands into his pockets, thinking. “At the end of those two years, you would have to convince the Society, as well as the other powers in the city, that you could continue on alone. They would put your nomination to a vote.” He exhaled slowly. “Assuming you claimed the title, it would be yours until you named a successor and began training them to replace you. Otherwise, the Society and all other factions must agree that no Society oversight is required in that place, at that time.”

  A snort escaped me. “And that will never happen.”

  Atlanta was home to the busiest airport in the world in addition to multinational corporations. The revenue it generated, and the global access it offered, made its health too vital for the Society to let it go unchecked.

  “Are you sure this is what you want, Amelie?” As much as I wanted to grab her offer with both hands, I had to consider more than my own future. I had to factor in Linus’s, and Atlanta’s. I cut him a look. “Are you sure it’s what you want?”

  “You understand you’ve volunteered for two years of extensive training as well,” he said dryly.

  “Um.” No, I hadn’t realized that. Fiddlesticks. “Yes?”

  “As the nearest potentate in good standing, your education will fall”—he smiled a little smile—“to me.”

  “Oh?” That perked me up nicely. “Do tell.”

  “I’ll be forced to divide my attention between Atlanta and Savannah during the initial twelve months, but I see no reason not to reside in Savannah during Amelie’s probationary period.” He pretended to consider me. “However, that might be construed as granting you an unfair advantage.”

  All innocence, I stole a move from Neely’s playbook and fluttered my lashes at him. “Does that mean you’ll stay with your mom until I’m official?”

  “Ah, no.” He was quick to decline, too quick, and he flushed. “The carriage house ought to do.”

  Disappointment washed through me until I considered it would be a return to the routine that had made me fall in love with him in the first place. A two-year engagement made sense if we wanted to keep our professional and personal lives above reproach. Claims of favoritism would still be made once Society tongues started wagging. How could they not? But there was nothing we could do about that.

  While I might consent to my fiancé moving across the yard from me, I wasn’t swearing Linus off romantically for two years to fully level the playing field. And it’s not like Amelie and I would be in direct competition. Our territories were hundreds of miles apart. Our appointments would be earned based on merit. Or, in my case, kept. Since I jumped the gun a wee bit.

  Hmm. I wonder how Linus felt about co-potentating with his future wife?

  Not that I wanted to discourage Amelie, but I had to be certain this wouldn’t blow up in all our faces. “Have you spoken to your brother about this?”

  “No.” She kept her head high. “It’s time I started taking responsibility for myself, and that begins with making my own decisions.”

  “All right.” I could respect that. “When do we start?”

  “As soon as these come off.” Linus lifted the hem of his pants to reveal an ankle monitor. “You and I got six months’ probation to be served at Woolworth House for accessing the Athenaeum without proper authorization.” He flicked a glance at my ankle, but what I thought was an offending sheet was, in fact, a fabric strap with a flashing tracker identical to his. “Boaz received a twelve-month sentence to be served at the Lyceum.”

  “Your mom wants to keep an eye on him.” I huffed out a laugh. “Where will he sleep?”

  “He’ll be escorted to and from the Lyceum by sentinels. When he’s not there, he’s expected to remain at the Pritchard family home.” The corners of his eyes crinkled. “He’s also no longer your shadow.”

  “That’s it?” I drew my leg onto the mattress to poke at the device. “Atramentous is only giving us a slap on the wrist?” I tapped the blinking light. “Or ankle, as it were.”

  “Our combined efforts freed Savannah from Lacroix’s influence, saving countless lives, vampire, human, and necromancer alike, and preserved the Lyceum. You also avenged the fallen.” The edges of his lips curled. “And while the Grande Dame can’t publicly condone your actions, you saved the city from burning. That’s fact. There were too many witnesses to discount your willingness to sacrifice yourself. That’s why your claim to the city won’t, at present, be revoked.”

  “And,” Lethe interjected, “since you had to go and bind yourself to this hunk of dirt, I had to do the same.”

  Stunned, I shot to my feet again. “What?”

  “Oh, don’t act so surprised. You know your man bought me a house. It’s not a donut, but it’s a start.”

  “What about the Atlanta pack?” Her mother would kill me. “What about your position as second?”

  “The Atlanta pack has Midas.” She pointed to Hood. “Drumroll please…”

  Grinning from ear to ear, he obliged.

  “I’m the brand-spankin’-new alpha of the brand-spankin’-new Savannah gwyllgi pack.” She extended her arm and wiggled her fingers. “You may kiss my hand, supplicant.”

  “You’re staying?” I launched myself at her. “Are you sure?”

  “You’re pack.” Hood patted the top of my head. “We have to stick together.”

  “Plus, I’ve already hired a chef for the massive kitchen in our new digs.” She kissed my cheek. “Thanks for that, by the way. Jaquez is the best housewarming gift I’ve ever received.”

  Given the small fortune I had paid in takeout since she came to Savannah, I had to believe Jaquez couldn’t be that much worse. “I’m so glad you like him.”

  “And,” she said, pulling back, “Hood and I would rest easier knowing you were just one yard over.” She rubbed her belly under her loose tee. “We don’t know what to expect with this little one. Her prenatal development is off the charts. Her postnatal may be too, so it makes sense to stick close.”

  “Atlanta isn’t that far,” I pointed out. “I could be there in a few hours if you needed me.”

  “You heard me about Jaquez and my ginormous kitchen, right?” She gave me a gentle shove. “Linus put the nails in your coffin, sweet cheeks. Free house, free chef. Why would we ever want to leave?”

  “Free…?” I mentally wrote a check to Linus to cover the expense. “Doesn’t get better than free.”

  “Right?” She danced into Hood’s arms. “Have I told you how much I love you today?”

  “You can stop buttering me up. I ordered second lunch before we came upstairs.” He kissed her tenderly then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Stop teasing Grier.” He focused on me. “We’re paying fair market value for the house, so you can pop your eyeballs back into your skull. They’ll get fuzzy if you let them roll around on the floor too long.”

  “Now who’s teasing Grier?” She elbowed him, but he gave her a look. “Oh, fine. Jaquez was retained for three months. Let’s call it a probationary period. That really is your housewarming gift, but as long as he works out, we’ll hire him full-time.”

  Though it made my wallet cringe, I didn’t want her to think I was cheap. “I don’t mind—”

  “Don’t give her an opening,” Hood warned. “This one will run—not walk—straight through it.”

  “More like waddle.” She pulled her shirt taut over her stomach and turned to the side. “Check this out.”

  The curve of her belly was almost twice as pronounced as when I inked the impervious sigil on her navel, and dread twined through me, twisting my gut into hard knots. “How long was I out?”

  No one answered.

  “How long?�
�� I shot to my feet. “Linus?”

  “Twenty-six days, five hours, and thirty-seven minutes,” he said softly. “Give or take a few seconds.”

  “Goddess,” I breathed. “What happened?” I patted across my chest, over my stomach, and down my hips but found no scars or tender wounds, nothing to account for the missing time. “I don’t remember getting hurt.”

  “You lost a lot of blood,” Lethe volunteered. “Linus had to transfuse you to keep you alive.”

  Knees wobbly, I sank back onto the bed. “Why do I have a feeling there’s more?”

  “You tapped into the latent consciousness of an entire city.” Linus raked a hand through his hair, tugging on the ends like he might pull out a clump. “Grier, if you hadn’t still been feeling the effects of the sigil you designed to expand your mental capacity, your head might have literally exploded by flinging open the gates of your mind and inviting an entity that size to join with you.”

  “Oh,” I whispered, grateful to still be around to receive the dressing-down I deserved.

  “Part one of your training will include memorizing passages from the Marchand collection, and I mean the old-fashioned way, not through magical means. You must learn to control your powers, to understand them, in much the same way as Amelie.”

  “How is the city?” I fisted my hands in the cover. “The people?”

  “Recovering. Rebuilding.” He shifted closer. “The barricade was taken down three weeks ago.”

  Thinking of the sentinels who once manned it pushed my thoughts in another direction. “Your mother?”

  “She remains in power.” He chuckled at that. “With the sentinels on her side, her platform is stronger than ever.”

  “I’m glad.” As much as it would have once galled me to admit it, “She’s good for the Society.”

  “I think so too,” he said after a considerate pause before turning a probing stare on me. “Do you still have a headache?”

  “Not exactly.” The ache from the extra memory was gone, as was most of the content I had absorbed. “There’s one passage from the Marchand collection that keeps circling in my head, though.”